Chagrin Falls Middle School received a $25,000 grant from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District to replace disposable cafeteria items with reusable ones.
Over the summer, the school installed a new conveyor dishwasher and purchased reusable trays and stainless-steel flatware for its 260 students and 30 staff members.
Since the start of the school year, the results have been significant:
Cafeteria waste has dropped 70% (from 35 to 10.5 cubic feet per day)
The school will keep over 20,000 trays and 40,000 plastic utensils out of the landfill each year
Students have adapted well to the new system and are learning about waste reduction and sustainability through daily practice. The change also creates a cleaner work environment for cafeteria and custodial staff.
The school thanks the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District for making this possible.